Photos: Hyppolyte de Saint-Rambert · CC BY 4.0 (1, 2, 3, 5) · おいしい水（濃縮還元） · CC BY-SA 3.0
At Isshinji, ashes left by families of any sect are mixed into a seated Amida Buddha every ten years, a practice begun in 1887. Eight such okotsubutsu are enshrined (six pre-war ones were destroyed in 1945), and roughly two million people are now part of them. The next is unveiled in 2027.
Why it's unique
The practice is unique to this temple and is designated an Osaka City intangible folk cultural property.
What you can do is enter the ossuary hall quietly and offer incense alongside the families whose relatives are part of the statues.
Before you go
The Buddhas are in the ossuary hall; visitors may enter quietly and offer incense alongside families who come at Obon and the equinoxes.
The 2027 unveiling ceremony is a once-a-decade event worth planning around.
